In a fantasy world picking the human type race is boring.
In a fantasy world full of beauty the Hulk type race with its colossal arms is ugly.
In the real world - Men in western society are desperate not to be mistaken for a pedophile so lalafel is out of the question.
In the real world there are many cat lovers. In FF14 the Miqo'te look good as so many different classes. They have so many different personalities. How could you pick anything else?
It seems to me that Squeenix wanted everyone to pick Miqo'te. Point the finger at them not us.
Don't hate the player, hate the developer.
Edit: I totally forgot that there are Elves in this game. They are a rarer sight that my level 30 White Mage's Unicorn!